Is the Apple iPhone X Portrait Mode Comparable to a Pro Studio Setup?
Apple has introduced a bunch of cool tricks for the dual cameras of their newer iPhones, starting from the iPhone 7 Plus and improved on by the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. Can Apple's top-end phone cameras and Portrait Lighting feature begin to approach a professional studio's results?
It's a question that professional photographer Daniel DeArco tried to answer in his comparison video, which he uploaded on Thursday, Nov. 9. In his various tests, he tried to see if the dual cameras and specialized software of the iPhone X can show results similar to studio lighting set up by an expert.
The result was hardly surprising — the iPhone X has a long way to go to even begin to approach the results of real lighting. The simulated lighting effects that Apple first introduced with the iPhone 7 Plus looked like a coarse approximation when placed side by side with the real thing.
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That said, the new Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting features are still a vast improvement over the standard phone camera shots being uploaded daily to Instagram and Twitter. With some preparation and practice, iPhone owners can also get professional looking results too, as long as they play to the iPhone's strengths, as explained in a Mac World tutorial.
In the guide, photographers looked at how to maximize the capabilities of the Portrait Mode, and their advice does not differ much from what amateur photographers should try to do whether with a phone or a DSLR. For one, the subject should be close, about 2.5 meters away or nearer, and background objects should be far away when possible.
The feature also does not do well with artificial indoor light, while the indirect glow of early morning sun or the late afternoon can lead to excellent results.
The video below shows the difference between the iPhone X's Portrait Lighting feature and shots made in a photography studio, a gap that's expected to close up as Apple develops the feature in later iPhone releases.
